


Summer of Smooch: A Fever You Can't Sweat Out

by nekosd43



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Alien Flora & Fauna, Caretaking, Comfort, Courting Rituals, Cuddle Pollen, Cultural Differences, Episode: e060-066 The Stolen Century Parts 1-7, Fever, Fever Dreams, Fluff, M/M, Romantic Fluff, Sickfic, Skin Hunger, Summer of Smooch, i finally get to use that tag in the way it was intended, it's like sex pollen but for cuddling, taagnus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-11
Updated: 2018-07-11
Packaged: 2019-06-08 14:26:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15245334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nekosd43/pseuds/nekosd43
Summary: The crew of the Starblaster take part in an unusual courtship ritual on a planet they are visiting, and end up getting more than they bargained for when some of them get sick from it.Magnus gets a little hot.  Barry takes a fall.  Merle gets his nose up in a plant's business.  Taako has to administer some TLC.





	Summer of Smooch: A Fever You Can't Sweat Out

**Author's Note:**

> FINALLY DONE WITH THIS FIC THANK GOODNESS.
> 
> It would be good of me to finish the fic for the event I am hosting, you know?
> 
> SPECIAL THANKS TO TAAGNUS CHAT, ESPECIALLY EPERSONAE AND DATACOW40 FOR THE FEEDBACK AND BETA READING THANK YOU SO MUCH GUYS I DID NOT WANT TO HAVE TO REREAD THIS AGAIN.

It seemed to be that this cycle was going to be one of the easier ones they had encountered.

The residents of this plane were friendly and helpful, the Light had been relatively simple to find, and the crew had plenty of time to do research and relaxation.  Davenport had suggested the crew learn about local customs, and they were quick to discover that this plane seemed to only be populated by humans, all of whom were excited to welcome their strange guests into their towns.

The townspeople were in the midst of preparing for a spring festival when the first recon team was sent in.  Taako didn’t really soak in many details (a lapse he would eventually regret), but it seemed to be a mating festival centered on the exchanging of flowers.  Couples exchanged bouquets containing a special local flower known as Lover’s Longing as a sign of affection. The flower only bloomed for a few hours during the festival, and apparently had a captivating smell.  Taako caught sight of a few of the squat plants as they had walked through town, petals tightly closed waiting for the right moment to blossom.

“I wonder what they smell like?” Lup asked, examining the leaves of one of the plants in the marketplace.

“Oh, it’s different for everyone,” the saleswoman at the florist shop chuckled.  “For most people they take on a smell that you associate with a person you love. My husband is a baker, so to me the flowers always smell like freshly baked bread.”

“That sounds awesome!” Magnus cried, “I can see why you guys made a festival around them!”

“I wonder how it works,” Lup mused, rubbing a leaf between her finger and thumb.

“It’s probably a hallucinogenic compound in the pollen,” Barry explained plainly.  “It stimulates some olfactory nerves without actually smelling like anything.”

“You take all the fun out of things,” Lup moaned, teasingly elbowing Barry in the ribs.

“I mean the way more interesting question is why!” Barry laughed.  “What would a plant gain from having that kind of adaptation?”

“Ugh, spare me the hypothesis,” Taako groaned.  “What kind of food do they serve at this shindig?”

The festival was all anyone in town could talk about, and it seemed like quite an event to take part in.  There would be food and music and dancing around a bonfire, and even though they had seen dozens of festivals on other planets, the residents’ fervor was infectious and exciting all the same.

“I mean we  _ can _ go,” Davenport admitted when they discussed the festival at dinner.  “If we really want to accurately represent these people in our records we should try to consume as much of their culture as we can.”

“Yes exactly,” Lucretia agreed.

“And we will all pretend it’s not  _ just _ because the captain hasn’t had date night in a cycle and a half,” Taako said with a smirk, earning stern glances from the gnome and a chuckle from Merle.

“He’s right though,” Merle admitted.  “None of us have had a night off in awhile.”

“Then it’s decided,” said Davenport.  “We will all attend the festival when it occurs.”

And as much as Taako tried not to act excited, it was clear everyone was really looking forward to the event.  Lup and Lucretia were looking forward to checking out the local’s customs, and Barry couldn’t wait to examine the flowers in full bloom.  Davenport and Merle were looking forward to a nice evening with drinking and dancing. And Magnus…

“I think it’s gonna smell like your body wash, Taako,” Magnus mused as they walked towards the bright lights in town on the night of the festival.  “Ooh, or  _ maybe _ it will smell like the lemon cake you make on my birthday.  Or maybe-”

“You’re so sure it’s gonna smell like me,” Taako laughed, squeezing Magnus’ hand.  “What if I’m not the person it reminds you of?”

“Taako of course it’s gonna be you,” Magnus chuckled.  “I’ve never loved anyone the way I love you!”

At that Taako blushed.  Magnus was so honest with his feelings, it could get overwhelming at times.  Taako was reserved in his expressions - the fact that they were holding hands in public was a huge achievement on his part.

“I’m just excited to hear what smell you get,” Magnus continued.  “Hopefully it’s a nice smell, you know?

“You want me to sniff one too?”  Taako said.

“Of course!” laughed Magnus, “It’s a  _ couple _ thing, right?  We should do it together!”

“Maggie it’s weird,” Taako insisted, “I’m not sure I’m that comfortable getting all up in these people’s traditions.”  He didn’t like the way Magnus’ smile got a little smaller.

“On that note, I do want to caution everyone about taking part in local customs,” Lucretia warned with a sly grin.  “Lest we forget the cycle were Merle and Taako accidentally got engaged.”

“ _ We do not speak of that cycle, Lucy _ ,” Taako hissed as Merle cackled.

“Lucretia makes a good point though,” Davenport agreed.  “You should take caution before participating in any local traditions.  I’m not saying you  _ can’t _ , just be careful.  We’re strangers here, we don’t know the implications of everything.”

“Ah Dav, let the kids sniff their plants,” Merle laughed.

“I’m surprised  _ you’re _ not itching to get in on that,” Taako muttered.

“I don’t like to get  _ that _ involved in a plant before getting to know them a little first,” Merle teased with a wink.

Taako stuck his tongue out in response.

The festival was well in swing when they arrived, with people dancing and shouting and passing around drinks and platters of food.  It was a bit frantic, more than once Taako found himself holding a drink he did not remember asking for. Still the energy was thrilling, and he couldn’t help but smile as Magnus dragged him out to dance in front of the bonfire time after time, grinning and hollering like an idiot to every song even though he didn’t know any of the words.

They had been partying about an hour when the flowers started to bloom.  Slowly, all around them, Taako could see the tight buds unfurlling, twisting themselves open to show off bright petals in vibrant pinks and yellows.  They were actually rather pretty once they were in bloom, not at all indicative of the shabby shrubs they came from. Couples were starting to break off and exchange flowers, but Magnus didn’t move to join them, instead looking at Taako nervously.

“What’s the problem, big guy?” Taako asked.

“It’s nothing I just…” he blushed.  “I know I said I wanted to do it with you, but if you don’t want to… I don’t want to do it by myself.”

Taako watched over Magnus’ shoulder and saw Barry purchasing a flower from one of the vendors, only to have it snatched out of his hand by Lup with a grin.  It was a couples thing, after all. He saw Lup smell the flower deeply, blush, and pass it back to Barry, who smelled it in return. Both of them were bright red, laughing, and then began excitedly talking.  Probably about what they smelled, and some nerd shit Taako didn’t care about.

Magnus glanced back to where Taako was looking, and gave a sad smile.

“Maggie,” Taako replied.  “Lemme buy you one.”

“You sure?” gasped Magnus, almost unable to contain his excitement.

“Yeah sure,” Taako teased.  “Worst thing that happens is it smells like your dirty laundry, right?”

Leading Magnus by the hand, Taako made his way over to the vendor, who he recognized as the young woman they had spoken to earlier in the week.

“One of your weird flowers please!” Taako said with a smile, and the woman chuckled as she plucked one of the now open flowers off the bush she had on her countertop.  They exchanged currency, and Taako turned to Magnus, bright pink flower unfurled in the palm of his hand.

“Take a whiff big guy,” Taako teased, and Magnus carefully lifted the flower with tender fingers from Taako’s hand.  Cupping both hands around it, Magnus lifted the flower to his face and inhaled deeply.

“Holy shit!” he laughed, a huge smile spreading across his face as he began to get flush.  “It - it smells like warm vanilla! And a little bit of cinnamon! It smells just like what the kitchen does when you make cookies when you’re feeling frustrated about things.”

Taako felt himself blush.  It was a weirdly specific smell that Magnus associated with him, but Taako couldn’t deny it was an endearing pull.  Of course Magnus noticed that he made cookies when he was frustrated. Of course he knew exactly what those cookies smelled like.  Magnus always noticed shit like that. He looked up at Magnus, enjoying his flushed cheeks and wonder-filled eyes.

“You gonna let me get a sniff?” Taako said with a smile.

Magnus beamed as he held the flower out, still cupped in his hands.  Taako closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

At first he smelled nothing.  Then, all at once, the smells started to come forward.  Campfire smoke and pine, a little musky, a hint of salt.  Taako thought back to a cycle years ago where he and Magnus had a night alone camping on a beach, and they stayed up all night looking at constellations and talking about the future.  It was a simple night, not one of their more exciting dates, but Taako was surprised to feel a warmth spreading in his chest when he thought of it. Of course this was the memory he would associate with Magnus.  It was simple, warm, and felt like home.

Just like Magnus.

“Well?” Magnus eagerly insisted.

“Smells like our camp-out on the purple-sand beach,” Taako admitted, and Magnus smiled.

Taako could see that other couples were putting the flowers in their hair, and he grabbed the blossom from Magnus’ palm and tucked it behind the human’s ear with a grin.  Magnus flushed even redder, and it was the cutest he could possibly be, bright pink petals contrasting so nicely with his blushing skin.

“Dance with me?” Taako asked, extending a hand, and Magnus eagerly took it.

They rushed back to the town square where the bonfire was still raging, and danced, hands entwined and smiles on their faces.

It was a night to remember for sure.

They weren’t sure when they made it back to the ship, but it was well after everyone else had headed back.  Taako was certain the sun was close to coming up as they stumbled back home, tangled in each other’s arms and giggling like school girls after all the festivities.  

Magnus was basically deadweight, hanging over Taako’s shoulder as he hummed nonsense tunes and occasionally stretched his neck over to kiss Taako on the cheek.  They had maybe had a couple drinks too many, but Magnus was usually the one carrying him home. Still, the bright red cheeks on his face were endearing, and Taako didn’t mind dragging him back to the ship  _ that _ much.

On entering the ship, Taako found Merle passed out on the couch in the common area, Davenport lovingly supporting his head in his lap as he read.  Taako noted a closed flower bloom twisted into Merle’s beard, just like the one shut tight tucked behind Magnus’ ear.

“You boys have a good time?” Davenport asked with a small grin.

“It was okay,” Taako deflected with a smile.

“Well duty is at o-seven hundred, hungover or not,” chuckled Davenport.  “Get a good night sleep.”

Dragging him back to his bunk, Taako tossed Magnus onto the bed, pausing only to pull his boots off before tucking his boyfriend in.  He considered climbing in next to him and curling up, but the alcohol was making him a little sweaty and he was dreading the idea of sharing a bed with Human Space Heater Magnus Burnsides.  So he kissed Magnus on the forehead and wandered back to his own cabin to flop down on the bed and pass out.

The morning came a lot faster than he would have hoped.

Fumbling his way down to the kitchen, Taako found Davenport and Lup chatting quietly while Merle brewed some tea and Lucretia served up some eggs.

“Morning Koko,” Lup hummed, taking a sip from her coffee.  “You and Maggie were out late.”

“A fact I am  _ deeply _ regretting right now,” he muttered, snatching his sister’s coffee and taking a sip of his own.  She made a face at him but he pretended not to notice.

“Well at least you are up,” Davenport said.  “Magnus and Barry are going to be stuck with cleaning duty if they don’t get down here soon.”

“Cut the big guy a little slack,” Taako hummed as Lup swatted him away and he was forced to get his own cup of coffee.  “He is definitely hungover, he was a mess last night. You saw, I had to carry him home. That  _ never _ happens.”

“I am shocked Barry is still out though,” Lup answered.  “He’s usually up before I am. Poor guy must be tired.”

“ _ So _ ,” Merle said, pouring his tea, “who smelled the flowers last night?”

Lup and Taako sheepishly raised their hands, but Taako wasn’t too surprised to see Merle and Davenport raise their hands as well.

“Really?” Lucretia huffed.  “Am I the only one who had the sense  _ not _ to inhale pollen from an unknown organism?”

“Aw, Lucy, Barry and I would have shared with you!” Lup said.

“No, I  _ specifically _ told you guys to be careful about what you did at the festival,” Lucretia replied sternly.  “Our biology might not be the same as the people who live here. Who knows how that flower will affect us!”

“I mean… it’s not seeming to have any effect at all,” Taako admitted, looking around the table.

“That isn’t the point,” Lucretia sighed.  “What if it turned out you were deathly allergic to it?  Would have been an embarrassing way to die.”

“Okay but I  _ wasn’t _ ,” Taako fired back.  “You gotta chill, Luce, sometimes a flower is just a flower.”

They finished up breakfast, and Davenport handed out duty for the day.  Magnus and Barry were still asleep, so they were stuck cleaning. Merle and Taako were to head into town to stock up on some supplies they were running low on.  Lucretia and Lup were to help Davenport with some maintenance the Starblaster needed.

“Do you think we should wake up the boys?” Lup asked as they prepared to head off to their separate duties.

“Nah, cleaning duty will be punishment enough,” Merle chuckled.  “Let them sleep it off.”

Still, Taako couldn’t help but feel a little nagging tinge of worry.  Sure Magnus had gotten pretty fucked up last night, but he usually bounced back pretty quickly.  And Barry was even stranger; the man kept charts that tracked his sleep cycle and bowel movements after all.  The idea of either of them sleeping through breakfast and well into the day was unheard of. Still, they had things to do and no time to haul them out of bed.  The Starblaster was getting low on rations, and Davenport thought that they’d be able to get some of the leftover food from the festival at a discounted rate.

As Taako and Merle approached the nearby village, they were surprised to find the streets almost completely empty - a stark contrast to how things had been the night before.  Most of the businesses were closed, and very few folks were out walking on the street.

“Maybe the afterparty is just really hardcore?” Taako mused, looking at the closed sign hanging in the window of the shop closest to him.

“Enough to shut down the whole town?” Merle scoffed.  “Come on, let’s talk to someone and see what’s up.”

The hailed down a young man who was walking in the street, and learned that the festival was usually followed by a day or two of bedrest, since the majority of the adults in the village were overcome with “Lover’s Longing.”

“What is it, some kind of illness?” asked Merle

“Wasn’t that the name of the flower you have the festival for?” Taako realized.

“Well of course,” the young man replied.  “Anyone who smells the flower catches the Lover’s Longing.  It’s why we hold the festival in the first place.”

“And what does Lover’s Longing consist of?” Merle questioned.

“Mmm, it makes the afflicted wish to be closer to the people they love,” he said with a smile.  “A desire to be held tightly, a cold shiver down the spine, extreme warmth radiating throughout the body-”

“ _ That _ is just a fever,” Merle interrupted, and the young man looked irritated by his response.

“Wait,  _ anyone _ who smelled the flower comes down with this sickness?” Taako shouted, suddenly realizing what this meant.  “But… How come you aren’t sick?”

The young man shrugged.  “Same as you two I assume, I never was offered a flower last night.  I recently broke up with my boyfriend. One has to inhale the pollen to contract Lover’s Longing, and the exchanging of blooms is strictly a couple’s activity.”  He sighed. “I wish I had someone to share a bloom with this year, but it wasn’t in the cards. Perhaps next year.”

As the young man wandered off, Taako grabbed Merle by the shoulder.

“Fuck,” Taako muttered.  “Looks like Lucy was right again.”

“I dunno, I feel fine,” Merle admitted.  “Definitely don’t feel feverish. If anyone who smells the flower gets sick, we don’t seem to be doing all that bad.”

“Yeah well what if it’s on, like, a delay,” Taako snapped, “What if we’re both about to get hit with a huge wave of it?”

“If I had to guess,” Merle reasoned, “it’s probably not affecting us because we aren’t humans.  You notice how there are  _ only _ humans living in this village?  Maybe it doesn’t work on elves or dwarves.”

“But if that’s the case then…”  Taako’s ears flattened against the side of his head.  “Shit… Mags and Barold.”

Rushing back to the ship, they found Lup, Davenport, and Lucretia outside the ship, working on some the Starblaster’s paneling.

“Did the boys wake up yet?” Taako cried.

“Well I don’t know about Magnus, but I went in to see Barry,” Lup sighed, wiping her grease-covered hands off on her shorts.  “He’s got a real high fever, so I’m letting him sleep it off.”

“Well bad news,” Merle huffed.  “Turns out the flowers have something about them that make the locals go into a feverish stupor.  They call it ‘Lover’s Longing’, and based on what we heard the main symptom is a high fever.”

“Oh shit,” Lup cried.

“Are they gonna be  _ okay _ ?” Davenport asked.

“I mean it seems like the people around here induce the illness  _ intentionally _ , so it can’t be  _ that _ bad,” Merle reasoned.

“Well I know  _ I’m _ not sick because I didn’t smell the flowers,” Lucretia admitted.  “But what about the rest of you?”

“We think it might be a human-specific illness,” Merle replied.

“The flower must have evolved symbiotically with the humans here,” Davenport muttered.  “It would be a reasonable explanation anyway. That doesn’t mean we’re in the clear though.  It could just be taking longer to infect us.”

“That’s nice y'all but I think I’m going to check on Barry?” Lup said nervously.  “Just because it’s normal for people on this planet doesn’t mean it’s going to be good with Barry and his shitty immune system.”

“Oh fuck, Magnus!” Taako replied with a start, suddenly remembering just how bad Magnus had been the night before.  “I better check on the big guy then, he’s definitely got it too.”

Heading off to Magnus’ bunk, Taako slowly eased the door open and quietly tiptoed into the room, only to find Magnus tossing and turning, blanket thrown on the floor.

“Hey big guy, you okay?” Taako whispered.

Magnus groaned in response.  

As he neared the bed, Taako carefully extended a hand to Magnus, trying to feel if he was radiating any heat.  Sure enough, he could feel the warmth before he even touched Magnus. “Maggie, you’re burning up.”

At that, Magnus rolled over, opening his eyes slowly as he looked up into Taako’s face.  He was sweaty and red, as though he had been running, and Taako was more than convinced that the Lover’s Longing had gotten him as well.  As soon as his bleary eyes focused, Magnus’ smiled up at Taako.

“Taako,” he hummed, grin as wide as it had been last night at the festival.  “It’s _so_ _good_ to see you.”

“Good to see you too, buddy,” Taako answered, checking Magnus’ pulse (which was racing).

“Get in bed with me,” Magnus continued in sleepy slurred words as he pat the mattress next to him.  “Come lay down. I wanna give you a kiss.”

“Hell no Romeo,” Taako laughed.  “You’re sick and running a fever.  Lemme go get you some water. Hang tight.”

As he left Magnus’ side, the fighter gave off a pitable moan of “noooo”, which Taako was surprised that he managed to drag out until Taako made it to the door.  Outside the cabin was Lup, who was looking concerned.

“Barry feels  _ real _ hot, Taako,” Lup hissed.  “How’s Magnus?”

“Same,” Taako admitted, paused, and added, “also weirdly clingy?”

“God, Barry too,” Lup laughed.  “He kept grabbing my arm and trying to pull me down.”

“Magnus told me he wanted me to lay in bed with him,” Taako explained.  “The villager we talked to said that the illness makes the person want to be held, maybe that’s it?”

“Well, whatever it is, we need to bring their fevers down,” Lup insisted.  “Come on, let’s get to the kitchen.”

They loaded up on bland crackers, ice water, and damp washcloths, and headed back to their respective boyfriends.  Taako carefully plopped the wet towel on Magnus’ still beaming face, which made the human chuckle weakly.

“Taako!” he laughed.

“So I put crackers and water on the nightstand,” Taako explained, backing up towards the door.  “And if you’re gonna hurl I put the trash next to your bed.”

“I’m not gonna hurl, Taako,” Magnus grinned.

“We don’t know that!” Taako shouted.  “Just because you haven’t yet doesn’t mean you won’t.”

“I’m pretty sure I won’t,” Magnus assured him, sitting up and pulling the damp cloth from his face.  He extended a hand to Taako, still red and sweating. “Come back over here. I want to hold you.”

“Sorry, Maggie, but you’re sick and I might still get it,” Taako sighed.

“Taako, I’m not sick!” Magnus insisted, “I’m in  _ love _ with you.”

“I know, big guy,” Taako replied.  “But you  _ are _ sick.  Get some rest, I’ll be back to check on you in a bit.”

He closed the door and made his way out to the common area, where he found Merle carefully inspecting his blossom from the night before, as Lucretia stood far back, a napkin clutched to her face to keep herself from inhaling anything that may make her sick as well.  They had laid the flower out on the dining room table, and it seemed as though Merle had fetched his dissection kit from his room. He was preparing to carefully cut back the petals and look inside.

“You should be wearing a mask,” Davenport muttered, leaning away from the flower.

“If I’m gonna get it I’m gonna get it,” Merle huffed, grabbing his forceps.  “Can’t undo that.”

“What’s going on in here?”  Taako asked.

“Trying to see if we can learn anything about this illness from the flower,” Merle explained, peeling back one of the tightly clasped petals.

“What, like an antidote?” Lup answered.

“Maybe, or just maybe an  _ idea _ of what’s happening,” sighed Merle.  “How are the boys?”

“Delirious and sweaty,” Lup confirmed.  “Barry kept touching my face and telling me he loves me.”

“Magnus… did something similar,” Taako mused.  “If nothing else this illness  _ deffo _ turns you into a huge sap.”

“I mean it does make sense,” Lucretia muttered through her napkin.  “If they use it as part of a romantic ritual, having increased affection would be a positive side effect.”

“So they… they huff the flower to make themselves get all snuggly?” Taako said, trying to piece it together.  “That’s… weird? Why even go through that?”

“It’s most likely an old tradition they’ve been doing for years,” Merle said, “The way that young man talked about Lover’s Longing made it seem like it was something they look forward to, so it doesn’t seem like they think of it like an  _ illness _ anymore.”

“Well, are  _ we _ gonna get it?” Taako insisted.

“I’m not sure,” Merle hummed.  “I’ll have to do some tests on the pollen… Until then it’s probably best that someone keeps an eye on Magnus and Barry.”

“Well, since Taako and I were already exposed, I guess that’s us,” Lup sighed.

“Just keep their fevers down until I can figure out a next step,” Merle replied.  “Keep your mouth covered just in case, and wash your hands after touching them. Better safe than sorry, you know?”

“Says the guy that’s nose deep in an unknown plant with no face mask,” Lucretia laughed.

“I’m a dwarf, I’m immune to poison,” Merle muttered, and everyone just let that nonsense go.

So Lup and Taako found themselves taking care of the two sick humans, waiting on Merle to finish analyzing the pollen samples.  It wasn’t horrible, Taako supposed. Magnus wasn’t the best patient usually, but he was always happy to see Taako when he came into the room, and did his best to follow instructions.   In other cycles, Magnus was a  _ horrible _ patient, not listening to restrictions people put on him, and usually overstraining himself as soon as his caretaker was out of sight.  Taako was shocked this time, as Magnus patiently let Taako dab his forehead with a cool cloth in exchange for getting to hold Taako’s hand.

The hand holding was definitely a major thing.  Magnus was desperate for the tiniest hint of contact, constantly asking Taako to touch him, to hold him, to kiss him; Taako couldn’t help but feel a little bad for him.  Not enough to risk mouth-to-mouth exposure, but enough to empathize and offer a hand for Magnus to hold in exchange for good behavior. And Magnus would hold his hand with such tenderness and awe, like it was the most precious thing in the world to him.

“These cuddle-cooties are weird,” Lup mused, as she helped Taako wash some of the towels they had been using.   _ Cuddle cooties _ was Lup’s name for the illness.  Barry had also taken on that desperate need for contact, and Taako and Lup weren’t really sure how to mediate it or help them.  It was getting  _ really _ bad too, leaving the room to get new washcloths or to fetch another bucket of ice resulted in the humans trying to get out of bed, trying to follow on wobbling feet.  Barry had already eaten shit once, feet tangled in blankets as he tried to chase after Lup. “Do we know how long this is supposed to last?”

“No idea,” Taako grumbled, “But it can’t be too long, right?  Nobody would willingly infect themselves with something that put you out for weeks.”

“Based on what I’m seeing it’s barely an illness at all,” Merle said, coming into the laundry room.  He looked tired, curly gray hair tied up in a bun as he had worked through the afternoon and into the evening researching the plant.  He tossed a lab coat in with the towels to clean. “Dav and I ran as many tests as we could. The effects are one part medical, one part magical, one part psychological.  But the good news is we don’t think it’s going to spread to us. Probably.”

“Probably,” Lup repeated.

“There’s like... an 85% chance that our biology is not compatible with the pollen in the way that humans are,” Merle explained, scratching his beard absently.  “And if that’s true, we won’t get it, or that if we do it’ll be so mild you might not even notice it.”

“And what’s that other 15%?” asked Taako.

“The other possibility is once it manages to work it’s way into our immune system, it’ll fuck us up right good,” Merle sighed.  “Having never been exposed to anything like it before, it could make us even sicker than any of the humans, and it might straight boil our brains.”

“Delightful,” Lup rolled her eyes.

“I should stress though,” Merle replied, hands held up cautiously.  “I  _ don’t _ think it’s gonna do that.  It’s my professional opinion that it’s harmless.  Probably.”

“Probably,” Lup repeated.  “Great.”

“So I guess keep exercising caution,” Merle continued, “but don’t worry too much about catching it.  At this point you’ve already got it in your system, so it’s a moot point. If you’re gonna get sick, you’re gonna get sick.  Just focus on making sure they don’t hurt themselves, and that their fevers don’t spike any higher, and we should get through this.”

“Can’t  _ you _ check on them, as ship’s doctor?” Taako asked.

“Eh, I wanna run more tests,” Merle replied, waving his hand dismissively.  “If nothing else I want a clear record of this stuff for Lucretia to put in the books, in case we ever encounter something like this again.  You’re adults, they should be easy enough to handle without me.”

That night when he came in to check on Magnus after dinner, he found him fast asleep and curled around his pillow like he was holding a teddy bear.  He was still flushed, hair sticking to his damp forehead, but he at least looked peaceful. Taako carefully checked his temperature with the back of his hand (still hot) before carefully draping another washcloth over his forehead.

Magnus sighed, but did not stir.

“Taako,” he heard Lup whisper, and he looked to see his sister peeking into the room through the doorway.  Taako crept over to the entrance, trying his best not to disturb Magnus. “I’m worried Barry might wake up and try to come find me in the middle of the night, and end up hurting himself.  I’m gonna stay up with him.”

“Are you gonna, like, get in bed with him, or what?” Taako asked, glancing back at Magnus.

She shrugged.  “ _ No _ , I’m just gonna set up a chair by his bed and sleep there if I have to.”

“That’s… probably smart,” Taako agreed.  “I should do the same.”

So Taako grabbed a chair and some blankets out of the common area, and set up a nice comfy spot in Magnus’ room.  They had the AC blasting in the cabins because of their high fevers, so Taako wasn’t about to spend the night in there without some blankets.  Once he was settled, wrapped up and feet propped up on the end of the bed, he took one last look at Magnus, who looked almost happy in his feverish sleep, before getting comfortable and trying to fall asleep himself.

He wasn’t out long before he was awoken by a low moaning and muttering coming from the bed.

“No,” Magnus groaned, rolling over though still fast asleep.  “No  _ don’t _ .”

Taako pushed himself up from where he had slipped down in his chair as he had tried to get comfortable, ears perked at the sound of Magnus’ voice.  He was definitely asleep, Taako could see that his eyes were closed, but his mumbled sentences were coming fast and confused.

“I  _ can’t… _  Don’t…”

Taako gently put a hand on Magnus’ leg.

“You okay man?” he whispered, unsure if he should wake him or not.  Magnus moaned in response, but did not answer. “Mags?”

Getting out of the chair, Taako came over to Magnus and put a hand on his forehead.  He was hotter than ever, and drenched in sweat.

“I’m not…” Magnus muttered, leaning into Taako’s cool touch.  “Taako… where are you?”

“I’m  _ right here _ bubbale,” Taako assured him, moving his hand to Magnus’ cheek.  “I’m right here, taking care of you, babe.”

At that, Magnus stirred, his eyes slowly opening.  He looked confused, but once he saw Taako’s face leaning down over him, he smiled weakly.

“Taako,” he whispered softly.

“Hey, what you dreaming about, big guy?” Taako replied, running a hand through Magnus’ sweaty sideburns.

“Dreaming…  uh… I thought,” he paused, swallowing.  “I was alone, and it was dark and cold. I was so cold.”

“You’re cold?” Taako asked with a frown.

“Yeah it’s…  it’s cold,” Magnus answered, and Taako watched as a bead of sweat rolled down Magnus’ cheek.  If he was cold, it certainly wasn’t showing.

“Do you need anything?” Taako asked, hesitant that he would ask for a blanket or something to get warm.  That really was the last thing he would need.

“I… I heard your voice,” Magnus sighed, closing his eyes.  “And I felt... warm again.”

Taako sat on the edge of the bed, putting his hand on Magnus’ chest.

“I’d never leave you, Magnus,” Taako assured him.  Magnus grabbed his hand in return, and smiled.

“Come to bed,” Magnus answered, squeezing Taako’s hand.

He was still so warm and his palms were so sweaty, but his eyes seemed to sparkle in the dark in a way that made Taako’s heart skip a beat.  It reminded him of the way Magnus’ eyes had sparkled under the stars, that night they had camped out on the beach. He was so wonderful, so sweet and tender, and while he was still obviously very sick, Taako felt something give inside him.

“Ah… what the hell,” Taako shrugged.  “Merle says I probably already have it anyway.”

Climbing over Magnus, Taako flopped down on the bed next to him.  The room was cold, but curled up to Magnus felt incredibly warm. Magnus rolled over to face Taako, his nose just barely avoiding touching Taako.  In fact, they were as close as they could be without actually touching.

“You are… so beautiful,” Magnus muttered, and Taako felt his warm breath on his face.

“Yeah, well,  _ I _ know that, but you can’t see for shit in the dark,” Taako teased, rolling over to face him.  “And I’m pretty sure your brain is fried.”

“I love you,” Magnus insisted.  “I love you so much. I feel like my heart is gonna burst when I’m with you.”

“Magnus,” Taako said, hearing Magnus’ racing heart in his chest.  “Honey, are you okay?”

“I’m great,” Magnus smiled, “I’m wonderful!  How could I not be?  _ You’re _ here, so everything is going to be okay.”

“Mag-”

And at that, Magnus surged forward, pressing his lips to Taako’s.

His lips were burning, slick with sweat, and Taako went to push Magnus away, putting a hand to Magnus’ cheek.  Just as Taako made contact, he noticed Magnus’ pulse slowing, his breathing steadying. With a start, Taako pulled back, and his hand flew to Magnus’ forehead.

He was still sweaty, but the fever was suddenly gone.

“Holy shit,” Taako cried, sitting up, “Maggie, your fever!”

“What?” Magnus said, sounding clearer headed than he had all day.  “What is it?”

“It’s just… it’s just gone?” Taako answered in disbelief.  “You kissed me, and your fever broke!”

“Maybe your  _ love _ cured me,” Magnus laughed.

“Get serious,” Taako replied. “What the fuck is happening?”

He stumbled out of bed, flicking his wrist to turn the lights on, and headed out to Merle’s room, Magnus chasing behind him.

When they entered Merle’s doorway, they found him still working over some potion bottles.  He looked up, confused at seeing both of them.

“Feeling better?” Merle asked.

“Yeah actually,” Magnus admitted.  “Taako-”

“Taako  _ took care of him _ and the fever broke,” Taako replied, cutting Magnus off.

“Really!  That’s good to hear,” Merle answered, smiling fondly.  “I’d actually gotten some leads on the cure, but I guess you won’t be needing them.”

“What did you find out?” Magnus asked.

“Seems that when the spores are ingested, they emit a secondary chemical that causes the fever,” Merle explained, starting to clean up his work space.  “But, if it reacts with saliva, carbon dioxide and dopamine, it counteracts the side effects.”

“So…” mused Taako, trying to put the pieces together.

“So those are all the ingredients of a nice  _ smooch  _ with someone you love,” Merle said casually.  “Weird how you two stumbled on that by accident.”

Taako tried not to let his face get too red.

The next day, after letting Lup and Barry know about the cure, they headed back into town to purchase the rations they were unable to get before.  Sure enough, everyone in town seemed to be out and about again, as if nothing had happened.

“I guess… I  _ guess _ it makes sense as a courtship ritual,” Barry mused.  “An exchange of flowers that results in an uncontrollable urge to be near someone you love, and a fever that can only be broken by their kiss.”

“There are  _ so  _ many better ways to go about this!” Taako cried.  “What a  _ weird _ tradition!”

“They’ve probably been doing it for centuries,” Lup replied.  “It’s just normal to them now.”

“I’d be willing to bet they cultivated this flower specifically for those properties,” Lucretia agreed.  “The species probably only exists because they grow them for the festival every year.”

“Well at least no one got hurt,” Magnus laughed.

“It was a little touch and go,” Lup said, taking Barry’s hand.  “But yeah, no harm done.”

“I’m harmed,” Taako insisted sarcastically.  “I’m forever scarred by this experience. This was the worst thing that’s ever happened to me.”

“And again, there  _ was _ that plane where you accidentally got engaged,” Lucretia reminded him.

“ _ We do not speak of that year _ ,” Taako replied.

The others laughed, and moved on into town to finish getting supplies.  Just as Taako was about to follow, Magnus took his hand.

“Was it that bad?” Magnus asked, pulling Taako towards him.  “Taking care of me, I mean.”

“It… it wasn’t  _ so _ bad,” Taako admitted quietly, putting his other hand on Magnus’ cheek.  “You’re a needy baby with no sense of self preservation, but the medication was easy enough to administer.”

“Speaking of which,” Magnus said with a grin, taking his hand and tucking it under Taako’s chin, “I think I’m feeling a little faint.  I might need another dose.”

“See, this was what I was talking about,” Taako said, his lips drawing in close to Magnus.  “Such a needy baby.”

They kissed, and it felt warm and right in the way that it should.

It felt just like home.


End file.
